Tractors, riding mowers and off-road utility vehicles may include an adjustable seat to accommodate the different sizes and needs of users. Some known seats require the user to get off of the seat in order to adjust the seat. Once off of the seat, the user must turn knobs or use tools in order to adjust the seat position. A significant disadvantage with these seats is inconvenience.
Other known seats are adjustable while the user remains on the seat. Adjustment mechanisms for these types of seats are relatively complex, and include a relatively high number of parts, such as wireforms, coil springs, rails and/or ball bearings. Due to this complexity, these seat adjustment mechanisms have several disadvantages. They malfunction relatively frequently, require a relatively high amount of maintenance services and are relatively expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,505 relates to a seat mount assembly for a tractor which enables users to adjust the seat position while remaining seated. The seat mount assembly includes a seat mount or seat support which provides support for the seat, a plurality of seat securing members which connect the seat to the seat support in a slidable fashion, and a unitary springback seat adjust handle connected to the seat which removeably engages the seat support.
The seat mount assembly described above provides an easily adjustable seat system that can be economically manufactured, and can accommodate more than one seat size, but it is desirable to further improve the assembly. For example, it is desirable to reduce or eliminate seat play in the seat slide mechanism. Seat play may result if the seat securing members are not sufficiently tight, or if the assembly is subject to normal wear and tear as it is adjusted over the course of time. Additionally, it is desirable to reduce or minimize labor time and cost to manufacture the seat mount assembly, including manufacturing labor to assemble the components of the seat mount assembly together.